Wednesday, June 29, 2011

We came home from Hancock County along GA-15 from Greensboro via Watkinsville. The road to Scull Shoals Historic Area is accessed via Macedonia Road from GA-15 so we decided to detour. We hadn’t been there for several months. It was too late to walk around the historic area so we decided to check out a side road we’d seen on the way in. This road wasn’t much more than a couple of tracks through the woods.

Sandy Creek, looking upstream (east) from the bridge. I took this in late November 2010.

We spotted some ducks on a log. Then they spotted us and swam off upstream. What we thought was four ducks turned out to be Mum, Dad and the 11 ducklings. They were too far away to identify.

The road ran along the south side of Sandy Creek. At this point the creek had opened out into a large swamp. Although it was sunny in the open, it was fairly dark in the woods.

And this is what we found...

Tall Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana)

The plant

A close up of the flower. It’s a little past its best but more buds are developing and it’ll be fun to follow the development of the seed

Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora)

It was late enough that we weren’t really looking for plants but, then, on a curve in the road, W spotted the characteristic profile of the Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora). We found 6 to 7 plants at this location. This plant has set three umbels and another plant is beginning to set blooms.

A closer view of an individual umbel

We were excited to see these plants. Previously, in addition to a plant that grows in our field, we’d only found them by the roadside in both Wilkes County and southeast Walton County. Unfortunately these roadside plants may have been destroyed when the roads were graded during the Winter. In this location in Greene County, it’s unlikely that the plants will be damaged.

Trillium species

This, obviously, is a trillium. It’s a big trillium with slightly mottled leaves and an erect flower

A closer view. It will be interesting to see which species this is. I have a bet with myself but I'm not telling.

Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

I’d never seen a Jack-in-the-pulpit before. It’s much larger than I’d imagined. Gigantic compared with what I’d imagined. This plant was about 2 feet tall and almost as wide.

It had bloomed and the fruit are forming. I’ll be following this plant for a while

It looks like this area will be interesting for early Spring flowering plants. We'll be coming back here a lot.

We have a habit of checking out ‘just one last thing’ on our way home. It was dusk so we had to use artificial lighting. I hate flash and only use it for distance shots when I have to. Since my camera won’t shoot macro shots with flash, I use a Yongnuo SYD-0808 digital LED array even though I have to shoot often at 1/50th second.Click on an image to view a larger image

Monday, June 27, 2011

Asclepias variegata is known by the common names Redring or White Milkweed. Asclepias sp. are perennial and are among the last perennials to emerge in the Spring. Plants may grow from seed or from rhizomes in a single stalk as high as 3-4 feet tall. Flowers form in terminal umbels. In contrast to the Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) which have a single umbel, some Asclepias variegata plants have two or three terminal umbels. Flowers are white with a red ring between the sepals and the upper part of the flower. So far, we’ve found single plants Asclepias variegata in Wilkes and Hancock counties and several plants in Fort Yargo State Park in Barrow County. Plants bloom in May - June in this area.

Plants at the edge of the woods in Fort Yargo State Park in Barrow County, Georgia.

A closer view. The leaves are broad but have a pointed tip unlike the leaves of the Clasping Milkweed which have blunt ends

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Several views of the multiple umbels that are common on Redring Milkweed plants. The flowers are in tight clusters

This photo shows the red ring that gives this species one of its common names.

A closer view of an individual umbel. You can just spy some legs of a crab spider at the top of the umbel in this photo.

I saw several crab spiders, including this male spider, on the plants in Fort Yargo State Park.

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Close view of the flowers. The hoods of Amplexicaulis variegata are shaped quite differently from those of Asclepias amplexicaulis. The hooks of A. variegata are closed tightly over the stigmatic disk comparison with those of A. amplexicaulis that are ‘loose.’

The hoods of the Asclepias variegata almost touch, compared with those of Axclepias amplexicaulis.

Asclepias flowers appear ‘clean’ because they don’t have loose pollen grains that dust the flowers. Asclepias flowers are unusual; diagrams of the anatomy of the flowers may be found here. The pollen is contained in sacs called pollinia that are located between the anthers. Two pollinia are connected by a ‘thread’ called a translator to a body called a corpusculum. Pollination only occurs if an insect is strong enough to hook the corpusculum and pull the pollinia from their sacs and deposit them on the stigmatic disk of another flower. You can see a photograph of the pollinia of Axclepias amplexicaulishere.Asclepias variegata (Redring or White Milkweed) is native to the United States. It is found in states east of a line from Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas; it’s not found in the New England states. It is found in Ontario, Canada. In Georgia, plants may be found more frequently in the Piedmont counties than in coastal plain counties.Click on an image to view a larger image

When we first drove down to the lake, we couldn’t see any activity. But then we saw them. Lots of them and at least five different species that we could distinguish from a distance. We got sucked in since some were landing. There must have been a 40 to 50 dragonflies in a small area of weeds and fallen branches.

Slaty Skimmers (Libellula incesta)

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Blue Dashers (Pachydiplax longipennis)...

probably outnumbered the other dragonflies in the group

A Slaty Skimmer in the foreground was trying to steal the limelight.

This pose with the tail in the air is called the "obelisk" position. Blue Dashers are frequently seen in this position during the heat of summer days. It is thought that this position helps to regulate body temperature.

Common Whitetails (Plathemis lydia)

This may have been the only Common Whitetail in the group. It seemed content to camp on this quiet twig just above the water and avoid the frenzy of dragonflies swarming in the area.

Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea)

Spangled Skimmers are easy to recognize at a distance by the white spots that ‘shine’ like little neon lights at the front edge of the forewing.Interestingly, we only saw male Spangled Skimmers in this group.

This twig was quite popular. This skimmer and a Blue Dasher frequently competed for this particular spot. The skimmer won the spot.

In addition to these dragonflies, there were a number of Widow Skimmers (Libellula luctuosa) and a few Eastern Amberwings (Perithemis tenera). We didn’t see the Widow Skimmers land. The amberwings, being potential prey for the bigger dragonflies, occasionally flew by from another area and stayed low to the water at the edge of the group.Click on an image to view a larger image

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Asclepias amplexicaulis is known by the common names Clasping Milkweed, Blunt-leaved Milkweed, Blunt-leaf Milkweed, or Sand milkweed. Asclepias sp. are perennial and are among the last perennials to emerge in the Spring. Plants may grow from seed or from rhizomes in a single stalk as high as 3-4 feet tall. Flowers form in a terminal umbel. Flowers may be pink, purple, or maroon or even a brownish pink.

Asclepias flowers appear ‘clean’ because they don’t have loose pollen grains that dust the flowers. Asclepias flowers are unusual; diagrams of the anatomy of the flowers may be found here. The pollen is contained in sacs called pollinia that are located between the anthers. Two pollinia are connected by a ‘thread’ called a translator to a body called a corpusculum. Pollination only occurs if an insect is strong enough to hook the corpusculum and pull the pollinia from their sacs and deposit them on the stigmatic disk of another flower. You can see a photograph of the pollinia here.A view showing the corpusculum - the black spot in the middle of the image - that connects the pollinia that are located in the adjacent anther sacs hidden by the flower hoods.

Next – and it may take a while – the 64-million-dollar question is whether flowers have been fertilized and will seed pods develop and release seed. Stay tuned.Click on an image to view a larger image

Sunday, June 19, 2011

During Winter visits to the Broad River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Wilkes County, Georgia, we’d see the dried horn-shaped seedpods of an Asclepias species. Although we weren’t sure which species it was, based on remnants of leaves on a few plants, we suspected it was Asclepias amplexicaulis, the Clasping Milkweed. This year we decided to put some effort into identifying this species and photograph it from its emergence in the Spring through its development of buds, flowers, and seedpods until it released seeds. We’ve been following plants in Wildlife Management Areas in Wilkes, Greene, Hancock, and Jasper counties.

Asclepias amplexicaulis is known by the common names Clasping Milkweed, Blunt-leaved Milkweed, Blunt-leaf Milkweed, or Sand milkweed. Asclepias sp. are perennial and are among the last perennials to emerge in the Spring. Plants may grow from seed or from rhizomes in a single stalk as high as 3-4 feet tall. Flowers form in a terminal umbel.

We’ve found plants in well-draining soil and often at the edges of pine forests but infrequently in deciduous woods. Plants seem to grow best in partial shade although we’ve found some plants growing in full sun.

A newly emerged sprout. The lower leaves are cotyledons. The true leaves develop next. This plant has a couple of sets of young true leaves and is already starting to set flower buds.

True leaves are sessile, and opposite in this species. Young leaves are elliptical.

When true leaves mature, they are oblong in shape, clasp around the stem at the base, and have a wavy edge. These characteristic leaves make them relatively easy to spot from a distance and give them one of their common names – Blunt-leaved Milkweed.

Flower buds are just starting to develop

From a different angle

Small buds just starting to show the 5-part shape that is characteristic of Asclepias sp.

A little bigger, from above…

And from the side

Almost ready to bloom

Spotting an Asclepias amplexicaulis plant developing blooms

Asclepias amplexicaulis is native to the United States and found states east of a line from Minnesota south to Louisiana and states west of this line including Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.Next: The flowers...Click on an image to view a larger image